Manmohan Singh talks tough, says 'there cannot be business as usual' with Pakistan

PM warned Pak today that there "cannot be business as usual" after last week's barbaric beheading of an Indian soldier along the line of control.

| TNN | Jan 15, 2013, 06.23 PM IST

Manmohan Singh talks tough, says 'there cannot be business as usual' with Pakistan

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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned Pakistan on Tuesday that there "cannot be business as usual" after last week's barbaric beheading of an Indian soldier along the line of control by Pakistani army commandos.

The incident has triggered a heavy exchange of fire between the two armies ranged against each other along the volatile unresolved boundary.

"It cannot be business as usual with Pakistan after the heinous act. Those who are responsible will have to be brought to book... I hope Pakistan realizes this. The government's point of view has been communicated in detail by the defence minister (A K Antony), foreign minister (Salman Khurshid) and the Army chief (General Bikram Singh)," said the PM, talking to reporters at the Army Day reception.

External affairs minister Salman Khurshid said, "We are pressing very hard on Pakistan to bring the perpetrators (of the beheading) to book. We are not happy with the outcome of the flag meeting (held at the Chakkan-Da-Bagh crossing in Poonch district of J&K) on Monday but the process is on. We should not take final definitive positions on anything but the processes will obviously get affected since what has happened is barbaric and unpardonable."

The hardening of India's position vis-a-vis Pakistan comes just a day after Gen Bikram Singh said he had instructed all his battalion commanders on the volatile line of control to retaliate with all their might if the Pakistan army provokes them by violating the ceasefire or pushing militants into J&K.

The Indian Army is quite clear that it "reserves the right to retaliate at a time and place of its choosing". This ominous warning was conveyed, in as many words, to Pakistan during the brigadier-level flag meeting at the Chakkan-Da-Bagh on Monday afternoon. But Pakistan rejected "all allegations" made by India, in what turned out to be a mere trading of accusations by the two sides.

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